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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Let's
talk about lumpia (pronounced as loom-pi-yuh), which is a favorite
among Filipinos. It is basically a deep fried spring roll filled with
vegetables, some ground meat, and perhaps some shrimp. My mom makes the best
vegetable and meat or shrimp lumpias. I have made those before too but just
never blogged about it because the directions are quite tedious to write. Sorry…
I can be really lazy sometimes.

One
of these days, I will make the traditional lumpia recipe and share it with you
all, but for now, I would like to introduce you to my winter lumpia. Hmmm...
Weird, considering we don't have winter in the Philippines. But hey, I am in
the US now and since I like cooking with seasonal ingredients, gotta use what's
in season! So this winter lumpia showcases the gorgeous purple cabbage and
parsnip and is backed by regular staples like garlic, onion, and bell pepper.
Not the lumpia that I grew up eating (that's very special too and I promise to
share it in the future), but something that I know my mom will be proud of when
she tastes it.

Before
I proceed to describe lumpia and how awesome it is, I want to make sure that
you get the right wrapper. Most often, you can buy lumpia wrappers at Asian
stores and they are usually refrigerated. Do make sure that the packaging says “Lumpia
Wrapper” with the words "spring roll wrapper" in parentheses. You do not want to use egg
roll wrappers, those are different!

Lumpia requires a lot of preparation time and some affinity for dealing with grease
and splattering. There's chopping involved, some stir frying, wrapping (which
for me is the best part), and deep frying. Do not let all this daunt you
though, please don’t! Once you taste it, you will know that it is well worth
all the effort!

A good lumpia should have two main characteristics: it has to have a flavorful
filling and a nice, crispy exterior. I love the flaky wrapper that gently
crunches in your mouth. Each bite is a combination of that and the savory filling
inside. The tenderized purple cabbage, which tastes bolder than its green
cousin, and the earthy sweetness of parsnip go very well together. The
combination becomes even better when doused with an Asian marinade then wrapped
in a thin, flaky, egg roll that gets deep fried in hot, hot oil. It is a
perfect winter appetizer... Earthy, savory, greasy, and just plain delicious!

There are many sauces that go well with lumpia and people prefer different
sauces for various kinds of lumpia. Soy sauce and vinegar, sweet chili sauce,
vinegar with salt and pepper, or ketchup. For this lumpia, I accidentally
concocted a sauce that's absolutely great with it and I encourage you to try it
too.

Be ready to read super lengthy directions. If you have no patience for the folding directions, just learn from the pictures. I just want to make sure that you produce
a perfectly crunchy lumpia that you will love!

In a small mixing bowl, stir together the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and
fish sauce. Set this marinade aside.

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot but not
smoking, cook the garlic just until it turns a nice golden color. Cook the
onion for about 3 minutes until it is almost translucent. Toss in the cabbage
and cook for about 4 minutes until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Add the
parsnip and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper and cook for a minute.
Toss in the fresh parsley and add the sauce mixture. Cook while stirring often
for 3 more minutes.

Turn off the stove and remove pan from heat. Move the stir fry to a large bowl
to prevent from further cooking.

Put some water in a small bowl. This water will serve as your glue to help seal
the wrapped lumpia. Place two large plates side by side. One plate is for
wrapping the lumpia on and the other is for the finished product.

Place a lumpia wrapper on one plate. Scoop a generous spoonful of the filling
and line it close to the bottom edge of the lumpia wrapper. Make sure to leave an
inch of space on the right, left, and bottom edges so you can fold the lumpia wrapper
over the filling. Fold the right and left side edges snugly, holding them down
with your fingertips. Use your other hand to fold the bottom edge snugly over
the filling. Roll into a log, making sure that the sides remain tucked in. Wet
your fingertips with a little bit of the water and pat it on the flap to help
seal the lumpia. Lay it on the other plate, flap side down to put weight on it
so it doesn't unroll. Repeat the process and make as many lumpias until you run
out of filling. See the pictures.

Before cooking the lumpia, prepare a serving
plate lined with a paper towel or two to soak up the excess oil from the cooked
lumpia.

Pour canola oil into a nonstick pan, just until it covers the entire bottom of
the pan. When the oil is very hot, but not smoking, place 3-4 lumpias in the
pan, depending on how big it is. Do not overcrowd, you want your lumpia to
brown evenly and to be manageable when you start turning them. Cook each side
for 1-2 minutes, depending on how fast the wrapper turns golden brown. Use
tongs to carefully flip the lumpia. Keep a watchful eye especially after you
have cooked a few batches because the oil tends to get really hot which causes
the lumpia to brown faster. You may need to lower down the heat and add more
oil when you are running low. When you add oil, allow it to heat up before
cooking another batch. Otherwise, the lumpia wrapper won't turn out crispy. The
sides and ends might not brown as well, so use your tongs to hold the uncooked
edges down into the oil for a couple seconds to make sure the entire surface of
your lumpia is evenly browned.

Spicy Lumpia Dipping Sauce

1
teaspoon soy sauce

½ teaspoon
chili paste

½ teaspoon
ketchup

generous
squeeze of fresh lemon

In
a small bowl, stir the soy sauce, chili paste, and ketchup together. Squeeze a
generous amount of fresh lemon juice to taste. The lemon juice works very well
at cutting the oiliness of the lumpia.

A somewhat healthy
pub food right in your own kitchen, Filipino style!

Sunday, January 27, 2013

This
weekend flew by pretty darn fast! It was a fun one… lots of baking and cooking,
a foggy hike, a delicious brunch at home with good friends, too much yoga
(never!), a sunny walk, and heart to heart talks.

I also
finished reading the sweetest book about a loving friendship between two women
who couldn’t be more different from each other, Astrid and Veronika, by Linda
Olsson. This beautifully written novel tugged my heart and touched me deeply. I
highly recommend it!

The creamy polenta is good enough, but when
toasted and topped with mushrooms stir-fried with lots of garlic and some wine,
it totally takes on a new character! I love the bit of crunch on the outside of
the toasted polenta and the softness and creaminess inside. The mushrooms are
meaty, juicy, and so full of flavor! This dish is so perfect for the season,
earthy and comforting. Very satisfying without being overwhelming… definitely
the kind of food that warms your heart.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Being
a teacher has many perks and one of which is getting to enjoy three-day
weekends! DFJ and I went on a winter adventure weekend in Winthrop. It is an
adorable little town in the Okanogan County in Washington. When I met my
friend, Emily, for dinner last month, she mentioned how much she loves
Winthrop. If there’s anyone who loves the outdoors the most and knows the best
places for adventures, that would be Emily. I woke up early on Saturday morning
feeling listless and bored, so I started looking up Winthrop and had the
greatest desire to go cross country skiing. Since I tried downhill skiing last
year and didn’t really enjoy it, I wanted to give winter sports another shot
and thought maybe something less nerve-racking, like cross country skiing might
be my thing. Plans were made and we decided to drive to Winthrop early Sunday
morning, stay the night, snowshoe, cross country ski, eat, drink, and have
fun!

First
stop was at Sun Mountain Lodge to rent snowshoes. We snowshoed around the Sun
Mountain trails for two hours and absolutely enjoyed it. The view of the
surrounding mountains heavily blanketed in snow with clear, blue skies and
orange-pink sunset hues was breathtaking!

Snowshoeing
requires some resolution to just put on your boots, strap them into your snow
shoes, and brave the cold and the snow. Only then will you realize how pleasant
and calming it is, just like hiking. I love how snowshoeing allows me to trudge
along, uphill and downhill, in deep snow without slipping and sliding.

After
the long drive and playing around in the snow, we finally checked in at our
hotel, Duck Brand Inn. Our room was very cozy, charming, and clean. I love the
red doors and the wooden staircase that leads to the parking lot.

We
had dinner at the Old Schoolhouse Brewery. This place is pretty awesome! They
have delicious burgers and great beer. Be prepared to enter with a very hungry
belly because the servings are giant.

The
next day started out freezing cold and we had a sweet breakfast at the Rocking
Horse Bakery, which was right across our hotel. Their coffee is very good and
so are all the breakfast treats! I wish my stomach had room for everything but
my bran muffin was a very good choice.

After
breakfast, we dressed in our ski gear and drove to the Community Trail Park and
did some practice runs around the track for an hour. DFJ and I are both
beginners at this sport and since we were on our own, practicing really helped
us understand what we were doing (or so we think).

We
headed off to Big Valley Ranch afterwards for 5 miles of cross country skiing
(sans trail pass fees!). I have never had so much fun while getting a great
workout at the same time! Despite the pain and the soreness that I’m suffering
through right now, I realized that cross country skiing is something that I
really enjoyed and look forward to doing more often in the next couple of
years. Working hard in the bitter cold felt invigorating and gliding through
the woods with sparkling snow everywhere made me feel at peace with the world.

DFJ
and I were exhausted at the end of the loop and we both just wanted to get out
of our sweaty gear and grab some food. After we returned our skis and changed
into fresh clothes, we stopped for a late lunch at East 20 Pizza before our
long drive home. Their pizza is amazing! One half was the sausage with spicy
pineapple and the other was portabella with goat cheese… yummm! East 20 pizzas
are heavy with toppings yet the crust remains nice and crispy. Every bite was
simply delightful!

Before
we drove off, we went back into town to look around for a bit and grab some
coffee for the road. After that, everything was a blur as I spent a good part
of the drive home sleeping my tiredness away. DFJ is the best chauffer.

Winthrop is a winter
wonderland! It offers all the cold weather outdoor activities you could dream
of doing. During these trying times in our lives, the snow covered hills and
mountains of Winthrop showed us that being one with the earth is the perfect
way to rejuvenate our souls.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Happy
Food Matters Project Monday friends! This week’s recipe, Chicken Jook with Lots of Vegetables, chosen by Erin of The Goodness Life, is a childhood favorite of
mine. Of course in our Cebuano vernacular, it doesn’t sound this fancy, it is
merely lugaw or at restaurants, the
more appropriate Chinese name, congee.
This rice porridge dish always warmed my belly and warranted seconds and
thirds. You would think that growing up in hot and humid Philippines, soups aren’t
a hit, but they are, especially this. The aroma of lugaw cooking in my mom’s kitchen was one of the best smells ever
and I didn’t realize how much I have missed it until now. For the longest time, I never thought to recreate
my mom’s lugaw. How did I ever forget
about it? Thank you Erin for taking me back home!

This
rice porridge is heart-warmingly delicious! The ginger really gives it a good
warmth and the gravy-like broth is so full of all the flavors that everyone
loves in Asian food. Each bite is a delightful mixture of thick broth, chewy
rice, and crunchy vegetables.

I
made this rice porridge on Saturday night before DFJ and I went on a winter adventure
(more on that later). Whenever I started forgetting about how much fun we were
having as we plodded and skied in the cold for the past two days, I daydreamed
about this. DFJ and I just got home an hour ago and we shared a
warm bowl of goodness. Doing my FMP homework before leaving town was the best
idea ever!

Saturday, January 19, 2013

So,
the first time I made blondies was a little over two years ago. Guess who they were
baked for? Yup, DFJ. We just started getting to know each other then… he was
the hot guy at the gym who happened to like inviting me over for dinner once a
week at his place.

One
day, I wanted to do something sweet for him and baked some blondies that
unfortunately, didn’t turn out quite right. They were not bad, just a little
hard and not too sweet. I had second thoughts about giving them to him, but what
was I to do? Eat them all or give them to my coworkers and pretend that I made
it for them? Uh-uh! So, even though the blondies were just so-so, I drove over to
his house after working out at the gym (he lived close). My brain kept telling
me to just forget about it and drive home. But my instinct refused to listen. I
wanted him to know that, that…

All
of a sudden, I had a stroke of brilliance! What fixes a subpar baked good?
Duh, ice cream! So, I drove to the grocery store, picked up some vanilla ice
cream, went to his apartment, and walked to his door with determination. When I
got there, I lost all the nerve and wondered if he had another girl over or if he
was in the middle of something. Perhaps I did not want to know…? I dropped off
the bag of blondies and the tub of ice cream, climbed back in my car, called
him and told him to open his front door. After we hung up, I drove home. Smooth
move, huh? Well, we are still dating! It must have worked!

Fast
forward to the present… Blondies, take two! DFJ’s mom gave me Ina Garten’s
newest cookbook, Foolproof, for Christmas and I love it! Many recipes will be
cooked from this book and I figured that a good place to start would be her
Chocolate Chunk Blondies. It took me forever to get started because I had to
thumb through my other cookbooks and browse online to find a blondie recipe
that uses less sugar than Ina’s. All the recipes I found require more sugar and
even less flour… yikes! As much as I wanted to follow her recipe to the tee,
circumstances did not allow me to do so. I didn’t have any chocolate chunks,
just chocolate chips; not enough walnuts; and some rye flour that needed to be
used. Remember when I swore off all-purpose flour a long time ago? Well, I have
some now. DFJ bought some for the birthday cake he made for me and we have lots
of it left over. If you’ve been following me for a while now, you know I hate
wasting, so naturally, I had to use the all-purpose flour too.

Even
with all these substitutions and omissions, my blondies rock! You really can’t
go wrong if you follow Ina’s basic recipe. These blondies are awesome on their
own and I am confident to tell you that you don’t need ice cream to cover up
any imperfections… There are none, if I may say so myself. But I won’t hold it
against you if you add a scoop of ice cream on top!

In
a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk flours, baking soda, and salt. Carefully move
the dry mixture to a sifter or a strainer and sift back into the bowl (make
sure to catch the ingredients that will go through the holes). Whisk well again
and set aside.

Place
the butter and sugars in a separate, large mixing bowl. Using an electric
mixer, cream the butter and sugars on high speed until it turns light and
fluffy, about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Using a flexible, rubber spatula, scrape
the bottom and sides of the bowl. Pour in the vanilla and mix on low speed for
about 30 seconds. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed for a minute
each. Scrape the bowl again before and after the addition and mixing of each
egg.

Add
the flour mixture one cup at a time and mix on low until everything is just
incorporated (meaning, you can see streaks of flour) or well incorporated (no
streaks of flour left). *See explanation below.* Scrape the bottom and sides of
the bowl to make sure everything is well combined.

Stop
for a moment to move the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven
to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom, sides, and corners of a deep, baking pan (I
used a 13x9x2 cake pan) with butter.

Gently
fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts into the batter using a flexible,
rubber spatula. Drop big dollops of the thick batter all over the pan. Spread
the batter as evenly as you can, until every inch of the pan is covered. Smooth
the top. Bake for exactly 30 minutes. Any minute longer and the blondies will
overcook and harden! Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in a few
spots. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done. If you happen to stab a
chocolate chip, the toothpick will come out messy, so pick a different spot.
Place the pan on a cooling rack and let it cool completely before cutting into
squares.

*If
you want your blondies on the fudgy side, do not overmix the batter. If you
want your blondies cakey, mix until everything is well incorporated.*

P.S.
These blondies are great with your morning coffee and perfect for
after-dinner-Netflix time! Have a great MLK weekend friends!

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Pancit
Bihon
is a classic Filipino dish that originated from Chinese occupants in the
Philippines a long time ago. This is a popular dish that is often served during
birthday parties for long life, fiestas (town birthdays), New Year’s Eve, and
other big gatherings. Filipinos are fond of getting together and pancit seems to be everyone’s favorite.
Everyone has their own version of pancit
and it is a no-fail dish because no matter who makes it, it is always
delicious!

Pancit is what Filipinos call stir-fry
noodle dishes. Different kinds of noodles may be used in a pancit: egg noodles, cellophane noodles, thick rice noodles, or
rice sticks (which is what I used in this recipe). There are different kinds of
vegetable and meat or seafood combinations that can be thrown in a pancit. The most common vegetables are
cabbage, carrots, celery, string beans, bell peppers, and green onions. The
meat or seafood are usually, chicken, pork, Chinese sausage, and shrimp. What
is most common among all pancit is
the use of soy sauce for seasoning. Usually, when there is meat or seafood in
the pancit, some key limes are added
to temper the oiliness or the fishy taste.

As
soon as I got home from work on Wednesday night, I started preparing the
ingredients for this recipe all the while talking to my mom on the phone. It
was a very nostalgic moment and it seemed like it wasn’t that long ago when I
was helping her chop the vegetables in our hot and cozy kitchen back home. Oh Mama, how I miss you! Thank you for
spoiling me with all the good food when I was growing up. Watching and
observing you taught me how to cook and you would be impressed with the things
that I am able to make now. All because of you!

This
pancit recipe that I am sharing is
vegetarian but just as good as any other pancit!
I fed it to my all-American boyfriend and he absolutely loved it. Not just
because I made it, but because it was really, really good. All the vegetables
are nicely cooked and they retained their crunch and juiciness. The slightly
spicy sauce wonderfully complemented the vegetables and the noodles are cooked
just right. With its spicy/herby touch, cilantro is the perfect garnish for
this dish. DFJ suggested that we add cashews and I was glad for that advice
because the cashews added a very delicious, sweet and nutty crunch.

If
you want a healthy, delicious weeknight mealor something new to bring to parties, make some pancit! Cutting the vegetables might take time but once you get
that part done, the cooking time is pretty quick. Feel free to use the other
vegetables I mentioned above or add some meat. When adding meat, make sure you
pre-season them with salt and pepper and cut them into bite size pieces.

Place the rice stick noodles in a large bowl. Add water to cover the noodles
and soak for 20-30 minutes. Set aside. While the rice is soaking, prepare the
vegetables. Everything should be set up in advance because each ingredient
cooks for a short time and it is best not to overcook them.

In
a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and
Sriracha. Set aside.

Heat
olive oil in a large, deep pan or a wok
(if you have one). When the oil is hot but not smoking, cook the garlic until
golden brown. Add the shallot slices and cook until translucent, about 2
minutes. Throw in the mushrooms and cook until shiny and fragrant, about 2
minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook for a minute. Stir in the celery and
carrot and cook just until they start to glisten, about 2 minutes. Pour in the
sauce mixture and stir for 30 seconds, making sure everything gets coated with
the good stuff. Throw in the bok choy and cook until slightly softened, about 2
minutes.

Now
it is time to add the noodles. Use clean hands to grab the noodles from the
bowl. There is no need to shake out the excess water that the noodles will
carry, allow it to drip into the pan. That little bit of water adds moisture
and will aid in cooking the noodles. Use a fork to separate the rice noodles
and evenly distribute them for 3 minutes. Cover the pan and let cook for 2
minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir for another minute. Turn off the
stove and move the pan away from the heat. You want to make sure not to leave
the pan on the hot stove top for a long time, the noodles get mushy pretty
fast. Continue to stir so all ingredients are evenly dispersed.

Serve
immediately with a garnish of toasted cashews and fresh cilantro.

Toasted Raw Cashews

½ cup raw cashews, roughly chopped

Heat a small nonstick
skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, toast the cashews for 5-8
minutes until they turn golden. Stir often and keep a close eye on them (they
burn really fast!). When you think they are done, move to a small bowl and let cool.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Hello
friends! I hate starting out a blog post complaining about life. However, I
really am in some sort of crisis right now and am quite non-functional even
though I should really be working double time to meet my deadline! Agh!

Amidst
all these crazy stress that I’m dealing with, cooking and eating well has been
my savior. Sara, the woman behind Pidge’s Pantry, picked this week’s Food
Matter’s Project… Sesame Noodles with Spinach and Salmon. Holy smokes, this dish is AMAZING! It was hard to go
slow while eating. My full bowl was empty in a flash! I felt like I was dining
at a nice Japanese restaurant.

All
the flavors in this Sesame Noodles with Spinach and Salmon blended together perfectly… the tender and savory salmon
flakes with some salty, crackly salmon skin; the slightly sweet greens with the
garlicky, sesame crunchies; and the perfectly done noodles. There’s no butter,
cream, or an incredible amount of oil in the dish. But the little bit of sauce
that coated everything had a wonderful sweet and buttery taste. Oh, every bite
was fantastic! Wish I could take full credit for the recipe and the cooking,
but it’s Mark Bittman’s recipe and DFJ was the chef tonight, I was merely an
assistant.

You
would be pleasantly surprised to know that making this dish is not that hard
nor complicated! It didn’t require too much preparation nor any fancy
ingredients. One crucial element is to properly cook the salmon. The trick is
to the have the oil really hot when you put the salmon in the pan. This way you get a crispy exterior and a tender and flaky interior. This also
helps prevent the fish from sticking. DFJ followed Mark Bittman’s instructions
exactly and cooked each side for 3 minutes.

We
followed the original recipe closely, which you will find at Pidge’s Pantry.
The recipe required 1 ½ lbs of spinach but we only had 8 oz, so we added two
leaves of kale. It worked well because kale doesn’t wilt as much as spinach
does. We didn’t have any soba noodles left in the pantry, so we used our
Japanese green tea noodles and it was very tasty.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Wouldn’t
it be nice if problems, worries, responsibilities, and chores would magically
disappear after waking from a deep sleep? I am so ready for that to happen… My
work visa is expiring soon and the deadline for the extension is on early
February, a mere 5 weeks away. Due to budget constraints, I have a feeling that
my work place is not going to extend their sponsorship. So I have been job
hunting since last week, hoping that within the next couple of weeks, someone
will be interested in hiring me for next school year. It is difficult to know
where to start… updating my resume, making myself sound super awesome in my
cover letter, answering endless questions on online job application websites,
and so on. I have a job to do and the stress of job hunting is too much to
bear. Many times I find myself biting my lips, restraining my hands from
pulling my hair, keeping myself from banging my head on the wall, and from
breaking out into a sobbing mess. Securing another job before the deadline is
the most viable option to stay in the US right now and I need to get my act
together to make this happen. Heaven help me!

Early
Sunday morning, I woke up and made a big pot of soup. I stood for two hours,
chopping, stirring, tasting, and hovering over my pot. It was nice, meditative
almost… Making soup that morning renewed my soul and allowed me to take my time
and breathe. During that moment, I forgot about my worries and felt thankful
instead. Thankful for the tranquility that I felt and needed amidst my time of
crisis. Most of the time it is so easy to give in to the feeling of frustration
and it distracts us from what we should be focusing on. Taking ourselves away
from this negativity is the most helpful way to get ourselves back on track and
pay attention to what needs to be done. My problems are far from gone, but
throwing a fit is not going to do me any good. I need to take a deep breath,
clear my mind, and put my efforts into what needs to be done. Making a big pot
of soup is a very good thing to do when experiencing some trials. I can attest
to that.

In
Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food,
she has summer, fall, winter, and spring recipe variations for minestrone, the
classic Italian soup. Using the fresh ingredients that I had, my minestrone is
a combination of the fall and winter variations, with some other ingredient
substitutions and omissions. Minestrone is a soup that can be made throughout
the year and is best when made with seasonal ingredients. One can never go
wrong with good ingredients. Plus, soups are very forgiving. Just remember to taste
as you cook so you know what is missing or what you’ve added too much of. If it’s
bland, add more salt. If it’s too salty, add more water and another cup of
vegetables or so.

My
minestrone is made with French green lentils instead of beans and I absolutely
love the result! The lentils added a very pleasant nuttiness and heartiness to
the soup without making it too heavy. The soffritto
or flavorful stir-fried vegetable base is composed of common soup ingredients:
onion, celery, carrot, parsnip, kale, bell peppers, garlic, thyme, a bay leaf,
and salt. Other ingredients that were added into the pot later in the cooking
process are potatoes, boiled cabbage, and fresh parsley. The combination of
everything makes for a tasty, robust, and textured soup. Extraordinarily
delicious in a simple and heart-warming way! Soul food, if you may call it.

Winter Minestrone (Makes 8-10
servings)

Inspired
from Alice Waters’ Minestrone, The
Art of Simple Food

½ head
of cabbage, chopped into thin, bite-size pieces (I used purple cabbage)

Fill
a medium size pot over half full of water. Bring the water to a boil and throw
in the salt. Cook the cabbage in the salted, boiling water over medium heat,
uncovered. The cabbage is done when it is tender, about 6-8 minutes. Set a
colander over a large bowl before draining the cabbage to save the cabbage
water for cooking the lentils. Leave the cabbage in the colander.

Pour
5 cups of the cabbage water back into the pot along with the lentils. Use the
tough, first layer of the onion to add flavor to the liquid that the lentils
will be cooked in. Don’t chop that tough onion layer so you can easily remove
it later. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. When it is boiling, turn
the heat down to medium low and let simmer, partially covered, until the lentils
are done, 30-35 minutes. When the lentils are done, remove from heat and set
aside. Discard the tough onion layer.

Meanwhile,
prepare and cook the ingredients for the soffritto.
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, but not
smoking, throw in the chopped onion, celery, carrot, and parsnip. Lower the
heat down to medium low and let cook for 15 minutes, stirring every now and
then.

While
these vegetables are slow cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Add the
minced garlic, chopped bell peppers, kale, dried thyme, bay leaf, and salt.
Keep the heat on medium low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every now and
then.

Pour
3 cups of water and the chopped potatoes into the pot. Partially cover the pot
and turn the heat back to medium. Cook for 15 minutes.

Add
the cooked lentils along with all of its cooking liquid, the boiled cabbage, and
fresh parsley and cook for 5 minutes, uncovered. Turn the heat down to medium
low and let cook for 5 more minutes. Add ½ teaspoon of salt or a bit more to
taste. Turn the heat off and serve warm.

This
soup is lovely and satisfying by itself. However, if you’re feeling fancy and
want some crunch along with it, then make some of these Parmesan Croutons by Ina Garten.

Place
an oven rack in the middle slot then preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Lay
parchment paper on top of a baking sheet.

Cut
the baguette into ¼ inch thick slices. Using a pastry brush, brush olive oil
onto both sides of the baguette slices. Place the slices on the prepared baking
sheet. Sprinkle the slices liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Then sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top of the slices.

Bake
for 15-18 minutes until the edges of the baguette slices turn into a nice,
golden brown color. Serve at room temperature. Warning: As soon as these
babies come out of the oven, it is so tempting to grab a crouton and bite on it.
Please don’t, it is crazy hot… so wait until it has cooled down before doing
so, promise?

These
Parmesan croutons are great with soups and salads!

Enjoy
this deliciously satisfying meal during these cold, winter nights.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Hello
Food Matters Project friends and everyone! My first blog post for 2013 is another
great FMP recipe. Here’s to another year of awesome recipes from Mark Bittman’s
The Food Matters Cookbook! I am
honored to be a part of The Food Matters Project, a great online community of
food bloggers who share their passion for cooking and eating healthy food.

#1.
It is delicious! Different flavors and different textures playing together in
every bite.

#2.
It is so good for you.

#3.
It is so easy to make. Very few ingredients and zero fuss!

#4.
It brought back sweet memories from my mom’s kitchen. She steams vegetables on
top of rice too!

#5.
It is the perfect side dish to anything. Simple and light enough to not
override the main dish yet special enough to be memorable.

When
I made this Hippie Rice, I followed
the directions to the tee... It sounded good as it is, with basic and familiar
ingredients that I felt no need to add or change anything. My brain is neither
fried nor incapable of creativity right now or anything like that.What are you waiting for? Go ahead, make this!

About Me

Hello, my name is Margarita. I try to live a healthy lifestyle by eating well and working out. I am a cooking enthusiast and I like sharing my love for good food. Most of my recipes contain lots of vegetables and perhaps a bit of meat here and there. Staying active is one of the things that keep me sane. I love doing yoga, walking, hiking, biking, lifting weights, and occasional running. Join me in my food, travel, and life adventures and together let's eat well, cook right, live strong, and be healthy!